Arizona

Derek Chauvin stabbed by fellow inmate in Arizona prison

Published

6 months ago

November 24, 2023

Derek Chauvin stabbed by fellow inmate in Arizona prison

Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murdering George Floyd, was stabbed by another inmate and seriously injured Friday at a federal prison in Arizona, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.

The attack happened at the Federal Correctional Institution, Tucson, a medium-security prison that has been plagued by security lapses and staffing shortages. The person was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the attack and spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity.

The Bureau of Prisons confirmed that an incarcerated person was assaulted at FCI Tucson at around 12:30 p.m. local time Friday. In a statement, the agency said responding employees contained the incident and performed “life-saving measures” before the inmate, who it did not name, was taken to a hospital for further treatment and evaluation.

No employees were injured and the FBI was notified, the Bureau of Prisons said. Visiting at the facility, which has about 380 inmates, has been suspended.

Messages seeking comment were left with Chauvin’s lawyers and the FBI.

Chauvin’s stabbing is the second high-profile attack on a federal prisoner in the last five months. In July, disgraced sports doctor Larry Nassar was stabbed by a fellow inmate at a federal penitentiary in Florida.

It is also the second major incident at the Tucson federal prison in a little over a year. In November 2022, an inmate at the facility’s low-security prison camp pulled out a gun and attempted to shoot a visitor in the head. The weapon, which the inmate shouldn’t have had, misfired and no one was hurt.

Chauvin, 47, was sent to FCI Tucson from a maximum-security Minnesota state prison in August 2022 to simultaneously serve a 21-year federal sentence for violating Floyd’s civil rights and a 22½-year state sentence for second-degree murder.

Chauvin’s lawyer, Eric Nelson, had advocated for keeping him out of general population and away from other inmates, anticipating he’d be a target. In Minnesota, Chauvin was mainly kept in solitary confinement “largely for his own protection,” Nelson wrote in court papers last year.

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Chauvin’s appeal of his murder conviction. Separately, Chauvin is making a longshot bid to overturn his federal guilty plea, claiming new evidence shows he didn’t cause Floyd’s death.

Floyd, who was Black, died on May 25, 2020, after Chauvin, who is white, pressed a knee on his neck for 9½ minutes on the street outside a convenience store where Floyd was suspected of trying to pass a counterfeit $20 bill.

Bystander video captured Floyd’s fading cries of “I can’t breathe.” His death touched off protests worldwide, some of which turned violent, and forced a national reckoning with police brutality and racism.

Three other former officers who were at the scene received lesser state and federal sentences for their roles in Floyd’s death.

Chauvin’s stabbing comes as the federal Bureau of Prisons has faced increased scrutiny in recent years following wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein’s jail suicide in 2019. It’s another example of the agency’s inability to keep even its highest profile prisoners safe after Nassar’s stabbing and “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski’s suicide at a federal medical center in June.

An ongoing AP investigation has uncovered deep, previously unreported flaws within the Bureau of Prisons, the Justice Department’s largest law enforcement agency with more than 30,000 employees, 158,000 inmates and an annual budget of about $8 billion.

AP reporting has revealed rampant sexual abuse and other criminal conduct by staff, dozens of escapes, chronic violence, deaths and severe staffing shortages that have hampered responses to emergencies, including inmate assaults and suicides.

Bureau of Prisons Director Colette Peters was brought in last year to reform the crisis-plagued agency. She vowed to change archaic hiring practices and bring new transparency, while emphasizing that the agency’s mission is “to make good neighbors, not good inmates.”

Testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee in September, Peters touted steps she’d taken to overhaul problematic prisons and beef up internal affairs investigations. This month, she told a House Judiciary subcommittee that hiring had improved and that new hires were outpacing retirements and other departures.

But Peters has also irritated lawmakers who said she reneged on her promise to be candid and open with them. In September, senators scolded her for forcing them to wait more than a year for answers to written questions and for claiming that she couldn’t answer basic questions about agency operations, like how many correctional officers are on staff.

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Arizona

Wildcat fire in Arizona grows to more than 14,000 acres – KYMA

Published

14 mins ago

May 21, 2024

Press Room

Wildcat fire in Arizona grows to more than 14,000 acres – KYMA

MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. (CNN, KYMA/KECY) – A 14,000 acre wildfire, named the Wildcat Fire, was 0% contained on Monday.

It sparked in the Tonto National Forest on Saturday, and high winds stopped firefighters efforts from the air.

One gate is closed for travel as a major fire burns through short grass and brush within Tonto National Forest.

“I mean, it was concerning, I guess the first night that we saw it just because we could see it right over the top of this house right here,” said Lucas Raymond, an Arizona resident.

Clearing the lot

Raymond and his family live in nearby Rio Verde. They’re ready to go in case the fire makes an unexpected turn.

They protected their home by clearing the lot around their neighborhood.

“Yeah, I mean, we have a three year old so I mean, we, we stay mobile as much as we possibly can, but we definitely have a plan if we need to get out of here. We can get out of here,” Raymond spoke.

Other residents nearby taking the risks in stride.

Hopeful

Hoping the weather and the universe will corporative, Nina Devries moved here just about a year ago and she’s feeling hopeful.

“We have hoses around the building. Several of them and they are connected so we would pick them up and try to keep things dry. But, basically just say positive and know that it’s going to be taken care of,” Devries expressed.

Those strong winds with around 40 mile per hour gusts forcing crews to ground their air units for a few hours.

On Monday, they’ll send them back up once the weather gets better, and around 300 fire personnel are battling the blaze right now and a lot of work lies ahead to contain this fire.

Good news

But there’s good news, humidity is up and temperatures are down.

There was also a little rain for the neighbors on Monday. It’s anything that will keep their homes fire free.

“Oh, it would be devastating. People love this area out here. I mean, the the residents out here fight for, fight for it out here. It’s not the easiest place to live,” Raymond added.

On Sunday afternoon, officials confirmed another wildfire, named the Basin Fire. It is burning southeast of the Wildcat Fire, but forward progress for this fire has reportedly been stopped.

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Arizona

Baseball: Dodgers' potent offense helps Yamamoto get win over Arizona

Published

7 hours ago

May 21, 2024

Press Room

Baseball: Dodgers' potent offense helps Yamamoto get win over Arizona

Yoshinobu Yamamoto threw 6-1/3 innings of two-run ball and Freddie Freeman delivered a grand slam among three home runs for the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 6-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday.

With plenty of backing from the powerful Dodger lineup, Yamamoto (5-1) struck out eight while allowing seven hits and one walk in another solid start for the National League West leaders, who extended their winning streak to four.

The Japanese right-hander surrendered a 1-0 lead when Joc Pederson hit a line-drive single with two out and two on in the top of the third at Dodger Stadium.

Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks in a baseball game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on May 20, 2024. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Los Angeles quickly turned things around, however, racking up six runs against right-hander Slade Cecconi (1-4) in the home half of the inning.

Enrique Hernandez tied it with his solo homer and Shohei Ohtani drew a walk to load the bases before Freeman put the Dodgers up 5-1 with his fifth long bomb of the season. Will Smith extended the lead with a solo blast.

Yamamoto exited after giving up an RBI single to Kevin Newman in the seventh, while Ohtani finished 1-for-3 with a run scored.

“I allowed the first run but was able to reset myself (mentally),” Yamamoto said.

The three-time MVP of Japan’s Pacific League threw an MLB career-high 100 pitches, including 69 strikes.

“My number of good pitches increased as the second half of the game progressed,” he said. “I felt like I was throwing with a good tempo.”

Related coverage:

Baseball: Yamamoto gets 4th win after longest MLB start

Baseball: Shohei Ohtani’s walk-off single lifts Dodgers past Reds

Baseball: Cubs’ Shota Imanaga gets 5th win with gem against Mets

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Arizona

Arizona State men, women golf teams out of NCAA postseason; Arizona men advance

Published

14 hours ago

May 20, 2024

Press Room

Arizona State men, women golf teams out of NCAA postseason; Arizona men advance

Todd Kelly
| Golfweek

Four days after the Arizona State men’s golf team was eliminated in the Rancho Santa Fe (California) Regional, just the fifth time that a No. 1 seed failed to make it to the NCAA championship since 2009, the ASU women’s team was knocked out of the postseason. Missy Farr-Kaye’s squad finished 16th, one stroke out of the top 15 that advanced after the first of two cuts in the women’s postseason championship.

Two ASU golfers advanced as individuals, however, as senior Ashley Menne and Patience Rhodes got through the final day. The second cut was set for Monday night and will send the top eight teams to match play with the championship finale set for Wednesday.

The Arizona Wildcats are among the top 30 men’s teams to advance to Omni La Costa Resort & Spa’s North Course in Carlsbad, California, for the men’s championship, which runs May 24-29. UA finished third in the West Lafayette Regional. After missing last year, Arizona will make its 29th championship appearance.

Local juniors shine

Peoria Sunrise Mountain alum Ben Lorenz, who plays collegiately at Oklahoma, won medalist honors at the Rancho Santa Fe Reginal. He helped OU become one of the 30 teams to advance to Omni La Costa Resort & Spa’s North Course in Carlsbad, California, for the championship, which runs May 24-29.

Max Lyons from Phoenix was named the Big East Men’s Golfer of the Year after his junior season at Marquette. He led the league with a 72.33 scoring average with 17 par-or-better rounds.

Scottsdale Christian Academy graduate Gracie McGovern, now a freshman at TCU, along with Brynn Kort, finished runners-up in the 2024 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship in San Antonio last week.

Rahm, Mickelson miss cut at PGA

Phil Mickelson, who won the PGA Championship three years ago, missed the cut in the major this time around, as did fellow former ASU golfer Jon Rahm. For Rahm, it snapped his cuts made streak in the majors at 18, which had led all pro golfers.

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